Women At The Top

March 12, 1985|By Shari Roan, staff writer

Women own 25 percent of all small businesses in the United States and are the fastest-growing segment of the small business community, reports Savvy magazine. But women are making strides in big business as well.

Estee Lauder, chairman of Estee Lauder cosmetics, leads Savvy`s second annual list of the top 60 companies run by women. The top women and their companies are:

1) Estee Lauder, Estee Lauder, chairwoman.

2) The Washington Post, Katharine Graham, chairwoman.

3) Wells, Rich, Greene Inc., Mary Wells Lawrence, chairwoman.

4) Home Interiors & Gifts Inc., Mary C. Crowley, president.

5) Liz Claiborne Inc., Elisabeth Claiborne Ortenberg, president.

6) Christian Dior, Colombe Nicholas, president.

7) Diane Von Furstenberg Inc., Diane Von Furstenberg, chairwoman.

8) Jockey International Inc., Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt, chairwoman.

9) Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mary Kay Ash, chairwoman.

Although many women are making it big in fashion and cosmetics, two of the three fastest-growing companies run by women are in other industries: computers and machinery. Thirty-two of Savvy`s top 60 companies were founded by women.